RAM’s Recent Success a Real Shoo-in
This week we chatted to Carol Bruton, chairperson of Rescue Among Many (RAM) about their recent food and shoe drive at Ashbury Primary and what they have lined up for 2018.
Firstly, who is RAM?
RAM (Rescue Among Many) was founded in 2011 in Montagu by myself and husband Stephen Bruton. We’re dedicated to serving the rural folk, especially the schools and elderly, of Montagu & Zolani in Ashton with a love for rural Pet Shelters too. We actively assist Lingelihle Old Age home to Government building compliancy requirements, and treats throughout the year, as well as, supplying a local ECD with perishable and non-perishable foods, and arranging bimonthly soup kitchens as ingredients permit. RAM also assists Ashbury Primary and Talana Primary (and on a smaller scale, Baden Farm School) with stationery, school clothes, shoes… etc and organises Christmas boxes and functions.
“In a nutshell. We serve primary schools, Farm schools, Old Age Homes, street soup kitchens, ECD, and random act of kindness on the streets of Montagu.”
And what happened on 19 January?
In this “Month of 45 days” we assist needy families with a food/veg/toiletry parcel to ease the burden of the month after Christmas. We observed many bare feet at Ashbury Primary and thought it’d be awesome to combine the food parcel drive with a shoe drive!
“We ended up receiving 348 pairs of school shoes plus approximately 200 pairs of casuals. We had to use 2 vehicles (a Vito bus with seats removed and a bakkie) both pulling huge hired trailers, loaded with more goods than we could ever have imagined!”
The preparations on 19 January started at about 07h15 and lasted well into the afternoon. Our donations came in many forms and sizes, ranging from a music truck and DJ, to 1500 soft drinks, 200 litres of milk and hundreds of yogurts, 1300 cups of soup and sandwiches, countless pairs of shoes, linen and towels, and even two local rap artists who wrote and performed a song just for RAM!
The energy was electrifying. It was magic from start to end. Bare feet were shoed and children were excited by seeing their parents so happy. It was an overwhelming triumph for us!
Why was the day such a success in your eyes?
What was most remarkable about this day was the support we received from our donors, not only donating goods but also driving out to Montagu to share the day with us. It was a huge success. The children were elated! 300+ kids got shoes on their feet, and families received much needed food and supplies.
How can we all get involved with RAM?
Get involved by following our Facebook page where our requests and needs are transparently advertised for each project. Or get in touch through our website or WhatsApp/ call me directly: +27 82 469 3041.
In order for RAM to continue making a difference, we are always appreciative of any help. We are in need of volunteers, especially an office assistant volunteer and also help with sorting/batching goods. Collection / delivery of goods is a real problem and our most pressing need at the moment is getting the goods to Montagu fast enough.
Lastly, what are your exciting plans for 2018?
We plan as we go and as a need arises. We aim to continue bimonthly street soup kitchens and bigger events. and are currently busy with a Teenage Mother Workshop in collaboration with another NGO on 5, 6 & 7 Feb.
We are also looking at our next big event – Ram’s 7th birthday month in the month of May. We’ve got a blanket drive scheduled for 4th May and will be busy making birthday cupcakes and serving big street soup kitchens. In July we celebrate Mandela’s 67 minutes, so there’s plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved.
In really exciting news, RAM has been selected by City Cycling Club (the oldest cycling club in South Africa for their 2018 fundraising efforts. You can read more here about how to get involved.
To help RAM in their fundraising efforts and their exciting future events, join their volunteer and supporter community on Brownie Points. And if that’s not rewarding enough as is, we’ll throw a couple of extra surprises in on top. 🙂
